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Blum Worries Over JCA Delay:

9/12/2007

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Blum Worries Over JCA Delay: The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Army Gen. Steven Blum, told The Hill that a delay in the Joint Cargo Aircraft program would be a "loss of capability for our nation" that would be "harshly judged." The Army and Air Force awarded the contract earlier this year to the Spartan team (L-3, Alenia North America, and Boeing), but the losing competitor Raytheon filed a protest. The Government Accountability Office decision is due early next month. However, the Army is chafing over a Congressional push to shift all JCA funding to the Air Force and to direct DOD to put all fixed-wing intratheater airlift within the Air Force. Blum appears ambivalent about whether the Army or Air Force fly the JCA, even going so far as to say the "roles and missions discussion is a legitimate discussion." He just wants to ensure the Guard can replace BRAC-induced gaps in the Air National Guard's airlift capability.